“We’re all devastated by what’s happened. When we set up this interview, we didn’t know that things would change. I was going to send a note to Chris [Nolan] … but I didn’t have the words,” said Zimmer. “Suddenly, words become meaningless because it’s so beyond anything. Devastated, I suppose, is the word.”

Asked when he first learned of the tragedy, Zimmer said he was too shaken up by the news to recall exactly. “God, I don’t know. I’m over in London right now – and I’m completely confused about time,” he explained. “It’s just sad. Here we are, we were trying to celebrate this movie and celebrating that we’d finished it and then this happened. I just feel so incredibly sad for these people.”

Warner Bros., the movie studio behind Dark Knight Rises, cancelled Friday’s premiere of the film in Paris, where Nolan and stars Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway and Morgan Freeman were scheduled to appear. In a statement, the studio said, “Warner Bros. and the filmmakers are deeply saddened to learn about this shocking incident. We extend our sincere sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims at this tragic time.”